I'm beginning to suspect Japan's Polysics belong to some sort of fair trade conspiracy to shill jittery new wave in the U.S. and UK, countries already swollen with Devo and Pere Ubu soundalikes. Back when the market would've been more receptive, the Polysics released Hey! Bob! My Friend and Neu, impressive works of cataclysmic spaz-rock that largely fell on deaf ears. Polysics or Die!!! and Now Is the Time!, released on Tofu in 2005 and 2006 respectively, hoped to firebomb American indie audiences until they approved, though the latter's watered-down synth-pop suggested that the band's window of opportunity was quickly closing. Now MySpace Records has adopted these foundlings with good intentions, though the upstart label appears unable to learn from the past, as Polysics or Die!!! Vista marks... another Polysics compilation.
Vista is basically a compilation of compilations, culling most of its material from the last three Polysics records and a few stray singles. Old standards like "New Wave Jacket" and "Black Out Fall Out" get primped for yet another U.S. close-up, though the extra gloss on these re-recordings mortgages the brink-of-chaos vibe that made Polysics special in the first place. Plus, a lot of the selections are just plain baffling. "Go Ahead Now!" and "Each Life Each End" are less-than-optimal highlights from Neu, and the absence of freak-out anthems like "XCT" or "Buggie Technica" feels like a concerted effort to downplay the group's wackier side. Recent singles "Electric Surfin' Go Go" and "You-You-You" make a decent case for the band's recent proclivity to power-pop, though even when the latter unleashes its infectious Cars-like synth line, it's hard not pining for their more free-wheeling material.
With their ridiculous get-ups and cartoonish sound effects, I can understand why many balked at the Brainiac comparisons Polysics initially garnered. Sadly, Vista only confirms those suspicions. Rather than embracing their id via short-circuiting Moogs and sexually frustrated cyborg rants, the band's indulged in an all-too-human sweet tooth. Chirpy "Baby Bias" sounds like a horrible anime version of "A Bay Bay" while the obnoxious sped-up chipmunk vocal track on "Catch On Everywhere" has reserved a special spot in rock hell. Vista's not an awful release by any means, but it throws egg on the faces of long-time Polysics apologists, and raises the question of whether or not they'll ever care to capitalize on the promising start to their career.
